This blog is sponsored by the Chula Vista Genealogical Society, located in southern San Diego County in California. The purpose of the Genealogy Cafe is to serve our members and other San Diego genealogy researchers - to answer questions, provide research information, provide notices of programs, etc.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

CVGS Research Group Summary - 8 September 2010

The session began with Randy sharing news of the CVGS meetings in September, the CVGS Fall Seminar on 2 October, the upgraded FamilySearch Beta site, and the book Shaking the Family Tree by Buzzy Jackson. We then went around the table and attendees shared their research interests and questions:

* John had one day at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City on his summer vacation, and shared brochures about the facility and briefly described his 7 hours of research there.

* Karyn asked how to find out if her Northern ancestors served in the Civil War. The group suggest the www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/ site to check for soldiers and sailors.

* Ruth introduced her father "Wild Bill" and Bill's wife, Yoly, to the group. Ruth and Bill are going on a research trip to Missouri and Kansas to investigate the family story about Bill's grandfather who, as a 14-year old, was put in a well to die, but escaped to succeed in life. Ruth shared a shoebox of old clothes worn by Bill as an infant. Bill told a few San Diego stories, too.

* Sylvia is still looking for records of her Theodore Krasky. He was said to be a 7th son of a 7th son from Prussia, born in 1825, who personally served Kaiser Wilhelm, but migrated to the USA in 1858, assumed the Krasky name, and lived in Indiana, Minnesota, North Dakota, and died in California. She has his naturalization record. The group suggested local newspapers, online message boards and mailing lists.

* Shirley has been tracing siblings and children of her Miller, Clancy, Wright and Plue brick wall ancestors in hopes of finding cousins with information to share.

* Sidnie is just starting her research, and wanted advice on how to search for her biological birth father's family. The group suggested obtaining vital records, then using the census to find his parents. They also suggested using the family group sheet and pedigree charts, joining CVGS to get help and guidance, taking a beginner's class, and using genealogy software to organize her family data.

* Gary shared three surname books from the Branson collection donated to CVGS - all written by Jesse Montgomery Seaver (who Randy says he is not related to).

* Ann has inherited many photographs with some persons identified and many not identified. She's trying to correlate them using the known names in the pictures in her whole collection. She also contacted a newspaper in Clark County WI for help on some of the photographs. Her husband's aunt moved out of her home after 46 years, and she is capturing family photographs.

* Randy recounted his research into Charlotte, an orphan born at sea and adopted by a Green family and married to David Hoke in Noble County, Indiana. The group suggested that Jane Green might be a relative of Charlotte's, like a sister or aunt.

The next CVGS Research Group will be on Wednesday, 13 October at 12 noon in the Conference Room at the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library.

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About Me

I am a retired aerospace engineer, and started my genealogy research in 1988. I have thousands of dead ancestors and zero live ones.
I am currently President of the Chula Vista (CA) Genealogical Society. I also speak on genealogy topics and have my own research blogs at http://randysmusings.blogspot.com and http://geneaholic.blogspot.com.
In my real life, I am married with two married daughters and enjoy my three young grandchildren.